Emil "Bill" Arnold

Emil William “Bill” Arnold Jr, age 82, of Grants Pass, died Monday, February 13, 2017 at Brookdale Grants Pass Pointe Memory Care.

A celebration of life will be held at 4:00 p.m., Monday, March 6, 2017 at Hull & Hull Funeral Directors. Private interment will be next to his mother at Oak Hill Memorial Park in San Jose, California.

Memorial donations may be made to Wildlife Images Rehabilitation and Education Center, PO Box 36, Merlin, Oregon 97532, or at www.wildlifeimages.org

In 1934 he was born to Emil & Elizabeth (Ungefug) Arnold in Denver, Colorado. The family moved to Fair Oaks, California where he graduated from San Juan Union High School in 1953. After high school, he joined the Coast Guard and spent many years traveling the world. After his service in the Coast Guard, he began working for General Motors in Fremont, California. He responsibilities included administration of production, and ensuring efficient and effective line production. After retiring from GM he owned and operated a very successful landscaping business.

Bill received his private pilot’s license and enjoyed many hours flying his family and friends to exciting locations. He and his mother favored trips to Vegas at a moment’s notice.

Several years after the death of his mother in 1990, he visited Grants Pass and fell in love with the city and the people and quickly made it his home. He volunteered much of his time at the Grants Pass Chamber of Commerce and was honored with an award for his service.

He was known for his kind, generous and fun loving spirit. Being a jokester, he was always eager to have fun and put a smile on the face everyone he met.

He enjoyed watching old movies, especially John Wayne movies; wildlife; and giving his time for the benefit of others. His most enduring passion was music which was played constantly. His favorite musician was Andre Rieu.

He will be very deeply missed.